Jimi Hendrix will always hold a special place in the heart of both American pop culture and American counterculture. Between his fashion, voice, and superhuman guitar talent, his persona often defied categorization, effortlessly standing out in a time when everyone was trying to stand out. His album artwork was no doubt as eccentric as he was, but Axis: Bold As Love is distinct, even amongst the kaleidoscope of imagery in The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Juxtapoz Sound and Vision is a weekly segment on our platform dedicated to exploring one piece of substantial album artwork every Sunday. Album artwork is one of the primary ways that musicians and visual artists are able to collaborate, and many iconic album covers are simultaneously iconic pieces of pop art. It’s also an excuse for us to share some of our favorite albums and the visual component behind what makes an album groundbreaking and fun.
January 6th, 2019: The Jimi Hendrix Experience’ Axis: Bold As Love
Cover photo by Karl Ferris // Painting by Roger Law
Jimi Hendrix will always hold a special place in the heart of both American pop culture and American counterculture. Between his fashion, voice, and superhuman guitar talent, his persona often defied categorization, effortlessly standing out in a time when everyone was trying to stand out. His album artwork was no doubt as eccentric as he was, but Axis: Bold As Love is distinct, even amongst the kaleidoscope of imagery in The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The cover features The Jimi Hendrix Experience band members painted and superimposed on various forms of the Hindu deity Vishnu. The portraits were painted by Roger Law from a photo taken by Karl Ferris. Despite its popularity, Hendrix told Rolling Stone in 1968: “...The three of us have nothing to do with what’s on that Axis cover,” citing his Native American heritage and likely commenting on the fact that no member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a practicing Hindu.
